Tail Light Gasket

[ezrec]

The gaskets around my rear tail lights of my '75 124 Spider appear to have shrunk and hardened with age.

Does anyone have a good technique for 'renewing' them without replacing them?

Or at least getting them to be flexible enough to go over the taillight housing?

[ezrec]

A little bit of googling, and I may have it.

There is a 'Transmission Stop Leak' product, which 'renews' hardened rubber seals, that may do the trick.

I'll get some today, soak the gaskets, and report back as to what happens.

[So Cal Mark]

usually that stuff works only while the seal is submerged in it, I expect your gaskets will shrink again shortly after removing them from the liquid

[mbouse]

make your own

seriously, make your own. some things for our vehicles are what is known as "unobtainium"

go to Home Depot and find a sheet of that thin foam insulation (usually white) and cut your own gaskets.

[So Cal Mark]

new gaskets are available from the vendors

[mbouse]

Fiat class 101

i learned something today. so, what was all that discussion over at the other site a couple of weeks ago about making Spider lens gaskets? not needing any myself.... i guess i paid less attention that i should have.

[So Cal Mark]

lens gaskets are different than the gasket between the lamp assy and the body

[baltobernie]

For tail lamp lens gasket, I found this on McMaster Carr, p/n 86205K12. Five bucks for 2 x 2 feet. Very resilient, and supposed to be chemical resistant. Cuts very cleanly with X-Acto knife. Also glued two pcs. on the underside of the boot cover to cushion the top latches abrading the cover. Have a lot left over, if somebody wants to pay postage; PM me.

[ezrec]

(This is not about the lens gasket, it's the black rubber gasket between the body sheet metal and the tail light's plastic housing.)

Evidently, the rubber that these gaskets are made of have a relatively high glass transition temperature, and hardened in the cold some winter long ago.

Anyhow, after three days the Transmission Stop-Leak product had not made any difference - the gaskets were still more like hard plastic than rubber.

As I was cleaning off the Stop-Leak with acetone (my favorite oil solvent), I noticed that a thin section of the gasket became much more pliable where the acetone was applied.

So last night, I soaked the gaskets for two hours in acetone, and, once swollen and rubbery, allowed them to dry and evaporate off the acetone.

The gaskets, as of today, are still as rubbery as they were last night. They still smell of acetone, so I'm going to let them dry some more (don't want the acetone to eat my paint job!), and, once the acetyone has completely out-gassed, see if the rubber is still elastic.

Wish me luck!

[So Cal Mark]

those body to lamp gaskets are still available from the vendors

[Jazgeek]

I wonder if any of the vendors have this part? Maybe we can ask the site admin?

[mdrburchette]

IAP only shows it for 79-85 models but Vicks is showing 72-78 gaskets:
left side part# 19-2398
right side part# 19-2397 for $27.50 a piece.

[baltobernie]

PS - just got two from Vick, and they are OEM, not repro; fit perfectly

[ezrec]

I'll have to order them from Vicks - the acetone trick helped, but they are still too shrunken.

Oh well, next paycheck.

Thanks for the vendor pointers, all!

[SLOSpider]

I used a heat gun to stretch mine back out and refit. Seem to be holding so far.